Fish trap



Aug. 19, 1930. o, SPERLING 1,773,324

FISH TRAP Filed Jan. 12,1929

. Patented Aug. 19, 193() p oseen` SPEBLING, oF 'NEWYORK N/Y.

FISH TRAP-- n Application fnearianuaryl 12, 197,29. seriai Nagasama y This inventionprelatest@ dvicestor catch` ing` ish, andA itlappertainsA morefespecially to such contrivances Which, are` p adapted" toibe f set onthefbottom of the Waterswherein they 4 5 "arei-mm'ersed. Y f Oneoi the objects;ofjtheginvention is the production of an improved device of the character referred to, that -Will both entice thelish andafordthem easypentrance into Ythe .trap aswell as prevent their escape.

y Another. .object is to; produce a/device of the kind speciiied, from which the entrapped fish can, Withoutinjury to the samebe quickly. removed, but yonlyby authorized persons.v

Arturther object isto provide a deviceof the class described liavinga holder convenient to charge with various sorts of bait, fromv the traps exterior, and Without Vlifting the latter outnof the Water.y l

Stillanother object consists in producing a device of the type vmentioned so arranged that it may be shippedV or 'stored in knockdoWn condition, and which can bereadily assembled by anyone of average intelligence. VA still 'further object is the provision of. a devicei of the nature set forth soconstructed that it Will adjustlitselfv to the direction' of: thecurrent, and to offer the least obstruction;

vention Will become apparent as the speci-v,

fcation proceeds.-

, lViththe,aforesai'dobjectsin View, the inscribed in their preferred embodiments,

trated, on. the annexed. draWing,l`Wherein like f parts are designated. by thel saine reference characters throughout the several views,

In the drawing.:-n

yeating endwise Withthe trap bodyls exterior vtherein by `,closures coveringthe endsthere@n pointed out in the subjoined; claimsand illus-v Figure Iis atop plan vievvof` apreferred ofrmof this improved lish-trap,parts. being l brokenawan y i' j llig; II` isf-a vertical sectional elevation ehenIlongitudina-lly ofthe device shownby l vFigSIII is a transverse section takensub.- stantially on the line AIll- IH l ofI1 `-i, g..II, looking in the-direction or the arrows; Fig. 1V is asimilar section, takenjon-the lineV-lv, looking in the same direction.

yFig-.QV is a' detail, face vievvon a somewhat enlarged scale, of a closurejappearing in Figs;- IandHI; and y n Y FigsVI is van enlarged sectional detail of acorner connectionfshown at the'upper left L hand portionof FigpIII. y Generally described, the device under conf sideration includes vin itsjorganization av refl ticulated, `substantially:rectangular prismlike body having oneend open. 1 From- ,they loweredge of the latter reaches upwardly and inwardly into this bodygvhich consti.; v tutesv the trapy proper,` an inclined v partition hingedsoiasto affordA access into the interior' ofthe trap. kAcompartmental'cageconfimuniv 7.5y

sides, ,isy interposed therebetween in spaced relation to the partitions inner edge., Bait .i and lure holding: containers, received. Within i the compartments of the cage, are retained of.' Trap `Vdoors pivoted in. proximity to thefbodys upper side and the partitionsr in,- ner edge, coactwithV the aforesaid cage ,to shut` oil' egress of, the prey While affording easy ingress ofthe'saine. yshadows"throwing member' overlying the'top 'of the; body andprovidinglodgement `for marine insect harboringwveeds, serves. also to entice: the

sh into' lthe trap. Means ,are .furnished ggg i v,whereby the trap vmay be hoistedWithoutv vention consists of thet novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter de- Itwill-l be obviousto thoseskillcd; the

artto, Whichthe invention appertains, upon y 35.5.

becoming conversant with the details thereof, that the same may be incorporated vin.

several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring now to -the before named views for a detaileddescription of the form of the invention illustrated, the same comprisesan approximately quadrilateral body, denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 11, The prismoidal Abody in question, when viewed from the top or either end thereof, has a rectangular appearance, while the longitudinal side walls 12, 13, as seen in ele-- vation, are trapezoidal. This is because the walls (see Fig. VI) find abutment againstVA the inside faces of the walls 15, 16, in close As deadjacency to their corner portions.

picted at 14"` the sloping end wall 14 is also furnished with similar lips as those on the top wall, but superlying the wedge-shaped,

and according'to Fig. II, the right hand, po'r- 1 1 weeds, the on-rushing water not only is detions of the said side walls.

The wallsreferred to, are by preference composed of rust proof wire netting, the meshes whereof are sufficiently large to permit of small size fish passing therethru. In order to hold the overlapping corners of the end, bottom and side walls together, angular clips 20, 21, are employed. These fitments are disposed'interiorly'and exteriorly, respectively, of the aforesaid corners, being secured thereto thru the agency ofv bolts with Y nuts, which clamp the wire netting flanges and wall. sides intermediately of said clips.

Overlying the top wall 15, is a corrugated plate 25, the undulations whereof extend lengthwise of said top wall. y*The opposite longitudinal side edges of this plate are fiatt tened and bent at right angles to the general plane of the corrugations, forming flanges 25a, lwhich in lieu of outside clips, externally encompass the lips 15aN of thel said top wall.

. The same bolts which fasten the plate flanges hand end of the device, as viewed in Figs. I and II. The purpose of the aforementioned hangers 26 and 26a, is to afford anchorages for hoisting slings when the trap is `to be lifted out of the water, so as to distribute the weight of the body and the load of fish contained therein, at several supporting points. 'Forthe sake of clearness, the hangers inquestion have been omitted from Fig. I.

The Vinverted troughs formed at the underside of theplate 25 by the corrugations thereof constitute lengthwise running pockets in which find lodgment, sea-grass or weeds whereinmar;ine insects and small crustaceans will take refuge. As the fishswims into the end of the trap opposite to its sloping transverse wall 14, whichend is preferably left entirely open, the forenamed finny denizens, attempt with their mouths to reach thru the meshes of the `netting sublying plate 25 `and nibble at the water-weeds orthe small animals harbored in the troughs or pockets aforesaid. The fish are thereby tempted' to swim further and further into the trap, until theyhave irretrievably vpassed beyond return-blocking gatesv more fully hereinafter described. A

After the trap has been submerged in water for some time, marine growths will rapidly adhere to the sides thereof, virtually U enveloping it with al sheath' of vegetation,

causing an obstruction against the tide or` current, which has a tendency to shift the location of the trap along the sea bottom whereon it is placed. However, with the transverse wall 14 covered by algae or like flected upwardly as on an. inclined plane over the top of the trap, but the currentwill also act tokeep the latter lin substantial parallelism with its direction of flow, thus obviating the proclivity of the trap to veer or move with Ythe current.

' At 30 is indicated an inclined .partition extending upwardly and inwardly into the trap body. This partition, by preference, is made of wire netting the same as the other walls, y being re-inforced at the lateral side edges thereof, by bands 31, 32, the end portions 31',

32a, whereof are turned oppositely that is, 1

upward and downward, respectively, as best seen from Fig. II. Thru appropriate openings in these end portions 31EL and 32a, and thru the side walls 12, 13 of the main body of the trap are inserted rods 33, 34, one or both of which may be'removable. It will be noticed that rod 33 is composed of a flattened bar provided with a manipulating head 33a at one extremity, and having its other terminal 33b perforated for the reception of a pad lock (not shown). From the foregoing will be understood that a poacher cannot gain access into the trap, vunless in possession of a key to the lock. I/Vhen bar 33 is removed, partition 30 can readily be swung up around liu the rod 34 as its pivotal axis, rand the catch `a suitable distance from and in substantial parallelism vwith the inner edge of the'parti-- tion'30, is a wire cage 35, conveniently triangular inicross-section, which, if desired, may

*i1-be dividedinto major 'and'minor compartments and35? respectively. VSaid cage is supplied at the `ends'thereofwith'transi verseiianges 36 disposed iiush with the inner the meshes of the side walls.

facesof the said vside walls, and communicatfing with correspondingly shapedopenings cut therein. EXteriorly ofthe last named walls, in opposition to the interior flanges,-

are companion flanges 37, held to thelatter by suitable bolts or screws BTapassingbetween The outside lianges 37 are providedy with doors 38 which may be hinged to the lower edges thereof. In.

f stead kof l'atchesf89 as shown, doors 38 can .be kept closed for instance by-pad locks, to

prevent unauthorized kentrance into the compartments of the said cage. l

Containerbaskets 40, 41, receivable within the major compartment, are capable of being lodged therein from either end of the cage 85.

These. containers'which as shownV may be polygonal in contour, are adapted respectively to holdflive and dead bait, as min'nows, and

fishheadsfand entrails, By pulling the trap up to the waters surface and turning the same `first on one andthen on the other side, it is `an easy matter to open the Vcage doors and push in or pull out the containers to charge or renew the bait therein. lnto the upper- 'Kminor compartment 85a, can be placed a receptacle 43,'V for a suitable oily or chemical material that will attract the fish by its smell.

This receptacle may conveniently consist of ran endwise capped length of pipe, having one or more perforations 43a thru which the odoriferous substance will be displaced in minute quantities by the water seeking its way into f the tubular receptacle. The other minor compartlnent 35h, at the lower corner'of the cage 35 is preferable for the housing of a glassV tube 44 coated on the inside wall surface thereof with some luminous matter such as radio-active paint, to catch the attention of and attract fish at some distance away. By virtue of the fact that the superlying plate 25 is opaque and throws a shadow across the traps interior, the luminosity of the tube 44 is set off sharply under the water, even in broad daylight. It is obvious that under certainconditions, the before mentioned containers may be omitted, andthe bait lodged directly in the cage 35, part-icularly if the y 'y latter is made of the same fine mesh wire netting as originally intended for the container or doorless iiange for the opposite onethereof, depending upon rthe sizel or' dimensions :of the' trap. f

f At 45 vis indicated a` rod whichy reaches crosswise of the traps upper middle portion,

beingcarried by its extremities'inr the depending flanges 252L 'ofthe-top plate 25. Onk said rod 45 and `also on the fulcrum. rod 34" for'the partition 30, are'hingedly supported gravity suspended iiaps or gates4?, 48`,re-

.spectivelyr Thev gates in question arearranged to 'swing'` freely inwardly from the slightest touch thereagainst by a fish nuzzling "along, to feed on. the accumulationsl in the troughs orpockets aforesaid or otherwise inadvertently seeking entranceinto the'A trap, while the outwardmovement of these Y gates is prevented byth-eir lower edges contactingl with the opposite sides of thecagelrr 85. Afteria fish has been enticed orblun@ ated or `removed only by the lifting up of the lower or front'edge of the said partition 30. By yreason of the fact that the top and bot-v tom walls ofithe trap vare made considerably wider in proportionto the sides thereof, the latter cank be nested within and flat against the iirstnamed walls, when the device is disassembled for convenience of shipment. The provision-of the corner clips 20,21, enables the assembling of the various walls to be expeditiously pertormed.l Similarly, thev placing ofthe cage35 in position with its coactingflanges'between the side walls12, 13, is the work ofbut a fewmoments `of time;

While a certain preferred' embodiment of this device vhasbeen shown and described, it will be 'understood that changes 'in the form, arrangements, proportions, sizes anddetailsV thereof may f be made, without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. f Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim 1. A trap having an open end, a partition inclined upwardly and inwardly of the trap from near the lower edge of said end, a bait container ldisposed crosswise of said' trap in spaced relation to the inner upper edge of saidpartition, and a gate coacting with the last named edge and said container to shut off egress therebetween by way of such space. 2. A traphaving anopen end, a partition extending inwardly from said end deiining the entrance intoY the trap, abait holder'disposed crosswise of said trap in spaced relation to the inner edge of said partition, and one-way gates co-acting .with said holder serving to shut oil egress between the latter and/said edge, and between the holder andvsaid trap, andV means ail'ording unobstructed access into and thru the bait holder in either direction from the exterior of the said trap.

4; A trap having a contracted vestibular entrance leading to a main chamber, a polyg- A onal bait holder within said main chamber extending crosswise ot the trap and providing openings communicating with the opposite exterior sides of the trap, gates within the main chamber coacting with adjacent corners of said holder controlling ingress to and egress from said trap, and a door for each of said openings operable from the outside of the saidy trap. c

5. A trap having an open end and a sloping `lwall opposite thereto, an inclined partition extending inwardly of the trap trom its open end, a bait holder spaced from the inner edge of said partition, a gate hinged to coact with said holder on the side thereof facing said sloping wall, another gate pivoted in coacting relation to the side of the holder turned towards the traps open end, said gates` n said holder communicating with the exterior of said trap at opposite'sides thereof, a gate serving to shut oil' egress between the ltraps interior andthe said holder, and closures for the exterior communications ot' the latter.

Y 7. A trap having an open end, an inclined partition extending inwardly of, the trap from the lower portion of its said end, means for pivotally supporting said partition adj acent the inner edge thereof, a'bait holder in proximity to the latter, a gate shutting oil egress from the traps interior past said holder, and'other means for locking the outer end of the said partition.

8. A trap having an open end, a partition extending inwardly ofV the trap from said end, a compartmental cage disposed transversely across vsaid trap in communication with the exterior thereof, a gate shutting oil egress from the traps 4interior past said Cage,`

bait and lure` containers insertible into the 9. A fish trap composed of reticulated material, a partition extending inwardly of the trap defining an ante-chamberhaving an upwardlyinolined iloor established by said partition, a bait holder disposed beyond the latter, a gate shutting oil egress from the traps `interior into said chamber, and a member overlying saidtrap aiiordingl lodgment for fish-food, `the samebeing reached thru the reticulations in the wall of the trap underlying said member by the fish passing into the ante-chamber. y e

'10. A fish trap composed ofreticulated elements, the same being provided along the side edO'es thereol1 with right angularly disposedl lianges, the latter taking over and under the adjoining sides of the elements at their meeting corners, paired clips arranged in spaced relation exteriorly and interiorly around said corners, and fastening means passing thru each pair of said clips and the corners of the elements included therebetween.

l1. A trap having reticulated top and side walls, a partition forming a contracted antechamber beneath the traps top wall, a corrugated plate provided with iianges adapted to overlie said top wall and part of the side walls, said plate serving to darken said charn ber, and clips on the inner side of the latter coacting with said ianges to tie the structure together.

OSCAR SPERLING. 

